[tvn]

Advisory to Senator Lieberman-

The basic elements for a worldwide ocean warning system already exist without spending $30+ MM in US tax dollars.

In 1979, the UN led the way for the launching of the Inmarsat satellite system to link ships at sea with instant communications. Now, with the addition of global positioning satellites, all ships can be tracked throughout the globe.

To establish an effective warning system, ships can simply be required to report unusual ocean activities. These reports when linked to the ships' positions can be quickly analyzed to provide the basic information to instantly assess the need to issue advisories to regions that may be impacted.

This martime (ship based) warning system can be established immediately without the expenditure of $30 MM in US tax payer funds.

[newgeezer]

Here, I already have exactly what Congress should provide in a tsunami warning system:

Get away from the coast.
Stay there at your own risk.

See, that was effective AND inexpensive.

[68skylark]

Well if those of us in the Western world are going to get stuck with the cleanup bill for tsunamis, I guess it makes sense for us to put in some kind of warning system all around the globe.

[68skylark]

So a ship as sea will let someone know when a 9.0 earthquake takes place in their area? I don't understand how that could work. How will they know?

[ClearCase_guy]

"If you had a huge tsunami hitting Florida or New York, or it could go right up the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, you would have a major disaster," said Larry Roeder, who heads the State Department's Global Disaster Information Network.

Well, I guess. If the conditions outlined above were to occur, I suppose we could call it a major disaster. In other words, if a tsunami happened to me and friends, it would be a major disaster. If it happened on the other side of the world, it would be a terrible tragedy.

[Uncle Fud]

Remember the hundreds of thousands who were stuck in their cars during the evacuation for Hurricane Floyd?

Now remember that a hurricane warning gives 24-36 hours notice, and usually is somewhat more localized than a tsunami warning would be.

Trying to evacuate a whole chunk of the eastern seaboard on a couple hours' notice could result in more collateral deaths than would the wave itself.

[BigBobber]

Let Oprah pay for it.

[javachip]

ships can simply be required to report unusual ocean activities.

Most tsumanis have a very long wave length and low wave height in the open ocean. A ship at sea would be very unlikely to notice it at all. The damaging wave height builds as the wave enters shallower water, which slows the forward part of the wave train causing the water to 'pile up'.

[Cowboy Bob]

Bump for later...

[Lou L]

Knee-jerk ALERT!

[solitas]

To: DumbA@@ LIEberman

1) quit the senate and let governor-Barbie appoint a Republican in your place.

2) go jet-hopping around the world and try to convince all the appropriate countries that it's in their best interest to pony-up money for themselves if they want to buy-in to the system - it's not up to the USA to blow their noses and wipe their backsides for them.

(2b go ask kofi-no-cream for money too. After these last few months, he needs a laugh. No, but seriously..)

3) go WORK FOR A LIVING for the rest of your life and go drop buoys in the ocean to help build the system: carter made his name building houses for the lazy, you can make your name building tidal wave protection systems for the internationally lazy.

[Rakkasan1]

I thought the left was against pre-emptive actions to protect citizens, or is that unless they're NOT U.S. citizens?